


Love Potion Number 9

by noellehenry



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Witchcraft, Autumn, Clumsy witch Harry, Love Potion/Spell, M/M, October, Talking Cat, Very important cupcakes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-19
Updated: 2017-10-19
Packaged: 2019-01-16 22:27:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12351819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noellehenry/pseuds/noellehenry
Summary: Harry is a witch, albeit a clumsy witch. His spells never work out quite as he expects them to and his potions are at least hazardous. He is, however, talented in the kitchen: his pumpkin pie cupcakes are heavenly. He bakes them as a welcome gift for his new hot neighbour...





	Love Potion Number 9

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a short fluffy fic with a pumpkin pie cupcake recipe hidden in the story.
> 
> Here's a rebloggable [tumblr post](https://noellehenryfics.tumblr.com/post/171173244731/love-potion-number-9-by-noellehenry-rating)

                                                                             

 

  
“Gods and Goddesses give me power, power to calm the winds give me this power so I may do thy command, winds calm right here and now give me power so you may fall.”

Harry bows down and says a prayer. He glances to both sides, making sure the candles are still lit. He then looks up with hopeful eyes and peeks through the tiny window of the cottage. He lets out a disappointed sigh. It’s still stormy.

‘Lack of concentration and practice’ he hears his sister smirking. She’s leaning against the doorframe, her arms crossed and shakes her head before she leaves.

Harry is a witch and so is his sister Gemma; there’s a difference though. Gemma is excellent at spells, charms and potions and Harry, well, not so good. In all honesty, he’s a terrible witch. His spells never work, and if they do it’s never quite what he expects. His potions are, to say the least, hazardous. Gemma forbid him to sell them in their little shop, when Mrs. Granger from the book shop grew an entire rosebush on her head. So Harry might have put in just a little more petals than the required two; it made the potion smell much better and he was really pleased with the scent. It took Mrs. Granger 3 months to get rid of the bush; she had to trim it weekly to keep it from growing. Mrs. Granger never set foot in their little ‘Odds and Ends’ shop again.

‘It was worth the try.’ Harry sticks out his tongue at the now closed door. It’s October, Harry’s favourite time of year. He adores the red and gold colours of the leaves on the trees, loves walking through those who are already in heaps on the ground, rustling when he does. Watching the delicate mist hanging over the valley, the pale sun peeking through, turning the landscape into a cloth of silver, rose, grey-blue and pale green. Those are the best mornings as he walks through the woods to collect mushrooms, acorns and chestnuts.

Today, it’s stormy and raining heavily. His spell didn’t work...at all, quite the opposite. The wind is now howling around the house, the rain is relentlessly hammering against the windows; the weather gods are mocking Harry.

‘Yeah, yeah I get the message.’ Harry says as he puts the candles back on the shelf. No collecting fruits from the forest today. Instead he walks to the kitchen to make breakfast; he’s good at baking. He loves to cook and bake, those are the only skills he outshines his sister in. He smiles when he sees Misty, their black cat, sitting in front of her bowl, glaring at him.

‘Hungry are you?’ He asks.

‘Yes.’ She answers. Right, another spell that went wrong. They now have a talking cat, which is very convenient at times when she’s not feeling well or when she is hungry, or when she just wants a cuddle. On the other hand, she’s a little gossip cat. Telling their mum all kinds of embarrassing stories about, mostly Harry, when she visits. They’ve instructed her to not talk when she’s outside, if she does, she’s grounded. Well, they did have to think of something when it turned out neither Harry nor Gemma could reverse the spell. So far, they haven’t had any complaints about a talking Misty.

Harry fills one bowl with water and the other one with chicken nibbles from Purrfect.

‘Thank you.’ Misty replies primly, turning her back to Harry while she starts nibbling on the chicken pieces.

‘You’re welcome.’ Harry chuckles.

He’s in the middle of baking eggs when Gemma comes into the kitchen. Wearing a grey sweater and blue jeans, her blond hair in a ponytail.

‘Smells good.’ She smiles at her brother. ‘What are your plans for today?’

‘Actually, I was going to go out, shopping, but now that I’ve fucked up the weather… I might stay in, read some, maybe make some new shower gel. I have some ideas for a vanilla shower gel and I want to try something new.’ Harry says as he sets a plate with bacon and eggs on the table in front of his sister. He pours tea, plain English Breakfast tea, into the mugs and places them on the table too.

‘Sounds good. Just be careful with the surfactants.’ Gemma winks. Harry groans. Another one of his experiments that came out a little different than expected. He created an orange blossom shower gel, but used a tiny bit too much surfactants to create foam. Once the substance was applied to the skin; he and the shower cubicle were trapped in foam in only a few seconds. It took hours to get rid of the mass of foam in the bathroom.

‘Maybe I’ll just create a wash instead of a gel.’ Harry offers weakly.

‘Oh Harry, have some confidence! Just test it over and over again, until you’re sure it’s safe.’ Gemma answers sternly. She hates it when Harry gives up easily, just because he keeps failing the most simple spells and potions. That’s why he prefers to stick to the ordinary things, like every other human in their village, those are the things he can do without messing up. He’s asked his mother if there had been anyone else in their long line history of witches who was just as terrible at magic as he is. Apparently not. Then he asked her, if she was sure Harry was her son. Anne had burst out in laughter and had assured him, he was in fact her son.

‘You’ll find your talent, love.’ She had told him in a soft voice. Until today, Harry is still  searching, he hasn’t found it, yet. This hidden talent is still buried somewhere deep inside of him.

He sets the dishes and mugs in the sink. The fop immediately goes to work, it splashes soap on the crockery, rinses it with water while it gently rubs over each item, before they fly over to the drying frame to dry.

Harry picks a book from the shelf to look for the right ingredients for both the autumn shower- and vanilla shower gel, he intends to create to sell in the shop. He sits down at the oakwood table in the centre of the living room. Misty curls up next to him on a wicker chair near the fireplace. It’s only a few minutes later when Harry hears her snoring softly. He smiles; he loves the stubborn cat.

He turns page after page until he finds vanilla and aloe vera. Exactly what he wants, pure organic; he goes to the backroom where they keep the ingredients in stoppered bottles. Each bottle is labeled with the Latin name, by Gemma, of course. He takes the proper bottles from the shelf and goes to the work-bench, placed in the centre of the backroom. He switches on the light and goes to work.

Their shop ‘Odds and Ends’ sits on the corner of Wisteria Lane and Holywell Street in the old part of the village, where cobblestone roads, picturesque cottages and cottage gardens filled with roses, hydrangea, hollyhocks, honeysuckle and of course, wisteria make for the most attractive part of the little village in the south of England. It’s often compared to the paintings of the late painter of light,Thomas Kinkade and Harry agrees. He loves living here.

‘Odds and Ends’ sells potions, soaps, candles, candleholders, decorations, books and more with a magical twist. The little shop is very popular with tourists and teenagers alike. Especially the skull decorations seem to be a draw to the local teenage population. They think it’s cool to have a shop like theirs in the village. Even Gemma and Harry are called ‘cool people’ by them. The other villagers just think the siblings are odd, a little eccentric, but friendly nevertheless. Nobody knows about their magical powers; although Mrs.Granger may have been a little suspicious after the rosebush incident.

Gemma and Harry grew up in a town further north. Their grandmother on father’s side left them the cottage and shop when she died, so it was only natural they moved. Since they knew nothing about antiques, their grandmother’s passion, they turned the shop into ‘Odds and Ends’.

The customers who buy the potions, do not expect them to work really. Gemma makes sure she doesn’t make and sell anything too obvious, just ‘lite’ versions of the actual potions, tiny mood swings or a little extra help in healing, concealed in small bottles with beautiful vintage labels. The real stuff is kept in bigger bottles in the cottage, tucked away in a locked cabinet.

It’s noon, when Harry finishes his first attempt at creating the bourbon vanilla shower gel. He gets up to make lunch for himself and his sister.

‘One customer! Only one!’ Gemma shouts as she is coming from the shop.’I’m going to close this afternoon and work on some potions.’ She slumps down on a chair. ‘I hate this weather!’

‘So do I. Even Misty can’t be bothered to go outside, ogling the ginger cat from across the street.’ Harry looks at Misty, who looks up, clearly not liking the disturbance.

‘He is nothing special.’ Misty retorts indignantly and goes back to sleep. Gemma and Harry burst out in laughter.

‘Yeah, right.’ Harry says. Misty lets out a loud snore, indicating she pretends to be asleep.

‘You’ve been working on the shower gel?’ Gemma asks. Harry nods.

‘I think I’ve got it almost right the first time.’ Harry says contentedly. Gemma softly applauds.

‘Do you need the back room this afternoon?’ She inquires while she takes a bite from her sandwich.

‘No, I think I go for a walk if the weather permits.’ Harry says. He really missed his early morning walk through the forest. Gemma looks through the window and studies the clouds.

‘Another hour before it stops raining.’ She says. Harry grins.

‘Did you just study the clouds for that? There is such a thing as ‘weather radar’ app’ e teases his sister.

‘I do not trust that app.’ Gemma replies slightly irritated. Of course she doesn’t. Harry however puts more trust in the app than in his own ability to study the clouds to predict the weather forecast.

An hour later it stops raining indeed, even the wind has dwindled down. Gemma was right.

Harry dresses warm, boots covering his feet, a brown jacket, lined with fake fur covering the upper part of his body, black jeans and a blue beanie over his head, his chestnut curls peeking out from underneath. He’s been growing his hair out for a while now. The curls touch his shoulders and he really likes it this way. He reaches to fetch the basket from the shelf near the front door. He’s going to need it for the mushrooms.

He closes the door behind him and walks carefully over the slippery cobblestones to the end of the lane. Wisteria Lane is a charming street. In Spring when the wisterias bloom in the gardens, the street appears to be covered in a soft blanket of violet. In autumn the red and purple colour of vineyards, climbing the walls of the cottages dominate the small lane, giving the entire street a warm glow. The lane ends where the forest path starts. On both sides of the street are quaint cottages, some of them with thatched rooftops, others with slate rooftops. Besides their shop, there’s a tearoom at the end of the lane, the only two businesses in the street. He thinks he’s going to stop by the tearoom on his way back. He hasn’t been there in a while. The owner, Liam Payne is a friend of Harry’s and Gemma’s.

He spots a removal-van opposite the tea room in front of Woodview. He wonders where old Mr. Parker has gone. He hasn’t heard anything yet, it really is time to visit Liam’s tearoom. He misses the village gossip, even Misty doesn’t seem to know, or doesn’t deem it important to tell. She just does as she pleases, one of her favourite pastime is: secretly admiring the ginger cat from her spot in front of the shop.

Harry continues his walk, he kicks a few branches aside that obstruct his way and follows the path into the forest. There’s something magical about the forest in autumn; reds, purple and golden hues colour the trees where the leaves are still hanging on to the branches, before falling down and turning brown, covering the forest in a rusty blanket. He walks on for a while. Everything is quiet, except for the wind rustling the leaves. He sees a squirrel, a red one, which is very rare, running off with a nut, tucking it into the ground near a tree, before it runs back to fetch another nut and repeat the action. Harry stands still and watches the scene in front of him for a while. When he moves his foot, the squirrel looks up and quickly runs away to an oak tree, hurrying up the trunk to disappear between the leaves.

Harry goes in search of the Penny Bun, he’s already collected a few in the past days. He carefully removes leaves to collect Yellow Foot, they’re right in front of him. An hour later he returns with a basket full of mushrooms, sets them in the kitchen, yells at Gemma, who’s still in the backroom, creating magical potions. He tells her he's going to Liam’s.

He glances to Woodview, the removal-van has left, but he doesn’t see any sign of life in the cottage. The doorbell chimes loud when he goes into the tearoom.

‘Hey Harry, how have you been? It’s been a while.’ Liam greets him from behind the counter. There’s a log fire burning and Harry goes to sit right next to it, warming his hands. ‘Been for a walk, right? I thought I saw you passing by earlier.’

‘Yeah, been collecting mushrooms.’ Harry replies while he rubs his hands. ‘What happened to Mr. Parker?’ He nods towards the cottage across the street.

‘Ah, he’s moved to an old people’s home. Did you know the man is already 93?’ Liam answers with a smile.

‘No, I didn’t. I hope he’ll enjoy living in his new home. Any idea who the new inhabitants are? I saw a removal-van when I walked to the forest.’

‘Me!’ A high-pitched voice comes from the other side of the fireplace. Its owner peeking around the mantlepiece.

‘Oh… hi,’ Harry blushes, feeling a tad bit embarrassed, being nosy. ‘I’m Harry Styles, my sister and I own ‘Odds and Ends’ at the corner of the lane.’ He introduces himself to the stranger.

‘I’m Louis Tomlinson, the sole new resident of Woodview. Nice to meet you, Harry.’ Louis gets up and shakes Harry’s hand. ‘Do you want to join me? I was about to order some tea with a treat. I think I earned that after a hard day’s work.’ Louis smiles.

‘Yeah… yeah, I’d love to.’ Harry looks into bright blue eyes. They’re like the sky in summer. His smile is mesmerizing, there are crinkles by his eyes and his eyelashes are long. Harry spots a few freckles around the man’s nose, which he finds very charming. Louis’ thin lips are a pale shade of pink. The most outstanding features of his face,however, are his cheekbones; they’re sharp and just… perfect.

‘Are you alright?’ Louis frowns. Harry realises he’s been staring shamelessly at his new neighbour. He coughs and tries to hide the blush that is colouring his cheeks. How embarrassing!

‘Yeah… I’m fine.’ He quickly gets up. Louis still frowns, but walks back to his table and sits down. Harry takes a seat on the other side.

‘Gentlemen, now that you’re acquainted… what can I get you?’ Liam asks, as he stands next to the table, watching Harry with amusement.

‘Do you have Yorkshire tea?’ Louis asks.

‘We do, we do. One Yorkshire tea. Harry?’

‘Spiced pumpkin pie tea, please.’ Harry nervously answers. Liam nods with a smile.

‘You sell that over here?’ Louis asks in wonder.

‘We do, we have specialty teas all year round. You should try them.’ Liam proudly answers. ‘Anything else I can get you?’

‘Uhm… pie?’ Louis tries to glance at the pie display.

‘Oh… Liam, do you have the autumn fruit pie?’ Harry interrupts hopefully.

‘As a matter of fact, I have, would you like some?’

‘Yes, please. Louis… you really should try it, it’s heavenly!’ Harry sighs dreamily. Louis chuckles.

‘I guess, I’m having autumn fruit pie, then, thanks.’

‘If you like that, you should try Harry’s pumpkin pie cupcakes. He’s a really good baker. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to persuade him to sell those to me. I’d love to have them for the tearoom.’ Liam looks at Harry with his trademark puppy eyes. Harry laughs.

‘Hmm, now I’m curious. I love pies and cupcakes, but I’m not good at baking. I can cook meals decently, nothing special though. Not one of my talents I’m afraid.’ Louis admits with a sigh.

‘I’ll get your order.’ Liam turns to go back to the counter.

‘So Harry, you own a shop. What kind of shop is it? Odds and Ends sounds intriguing.’ Louis folds his hands under his chin as he looks at Harry. Harry feels another blush coming. He really should ask Gemma if she can create a potion that will keep him from blushing in the presence of attractive strangers.

‘It is, well… odds and ends really. You should come have a look when you’re settled.’ Harry explains lamely. Liam comes back with a tray and sets the tea and pies down in front of them.

‘It’s a unique shop, Louis. Great for gifts, trust me!’ Liam adds encouragingly. ‘They sell, candles, shower gels, soaps, skulls, potions. Theirs is a shop with a magical twist.’

‘Potions?! Come on… not really!’ Louis looks astonished. ‘Do you sell love potions? I could use some of that!’ Louis winks. Harry giggles. Liam laughs and says.

‘I doubt that, but you guys sell bottles with fluids, don’t you?’ Liam looks at Harry.

‘We do… the content is secret, sorry.’ Harry confirms with red cheeks. He hates blushing so frequently. Especially in the presence of handsome men.

‘Oh well, maybe I’ll just have to find love in the ordinary way then.’ Louis sighs dramatically. His elbows leaning on the table, his head resting in his hands.

‘Is that why you moved here? To find love?’ Harry braves himself to ask. He really is curious and nosy today.

‘Not really, but I’d love to find a nice bloke some day.’ Louis winks. Harry covers his cheeks with both hands. He’s done blushing!

‘Not many single men in this village, I’m afraid.’ Liam sits down with them, drinking from his own tea. Louis and Harry are the only customers. ‘Do you mind if I sit with you?’  

‘Nope, it’s nice to get to know people when you’re the newbie.’ He turns his head to Liam.’ Are you married?’ Liam shakes his head.

‘Nope, I’m seeing a girl, but nothing serious yet.’

‘Harry?’ Louis looks back at him. Harry shakes his head.

‘Like I said, there are not many single men in the village.’ Liam takes another sip from his tea while he winks at Harry.

‘That’s a bit disappointing. On the other hand, I might finally get some work done, living here. I’m from Doncaster, originally, then moved to Manchester, but found it too busy. Lots of traffic and noises, not good for concentrating on writing. Oh, I’m a playwright, by the way.’ Louis tells them while he sips from his Yorkshire tea. ‘Ah, nothing beats a good cuppa.’

They chat for a while. Louis admits the autumn pie is one of the best pies he’s ever tasted, Liam and Harry high five to that with huge grins, while Louis takes the last bite of his slice.

‘Well, it was nice to meet you both. I’m afraid I have to leave, there are still lots of boxes to be dealt with. Liam, how much do I owe you?’

‘It’s on the house today.’

‘In that case, thank you very much. Bye Liam, bye Harry.’ Louis smiles friendly and leaves the tearoom. Harry is staring after him. Louis is simply gorgeous. He sighs involuntarily.

‘Someone’s got a sudden crush.’ Liam teases him gently with a smile.

‘I’m too obvious, aren't I?’ Harry pouts. Liam nods. Harry gets up and pays for his order, when he’s about to go outside, Liam calls.

‘I’m serious about those cupcakes, Harry. Give it a thought, yeah?’

‘I will, thanks Liam.’ Harry closes the door behind him. He glances over to Woodview. He can’t see Louis. A bit disappointed he walks to the other end of the lane, where a ginger cat sits on the pavement, staring at ‘Odds and Ends’.

‘Sorry little fella, I doubt Misty is coming out to play today.’ He informs the cat who only glances up briefly before paying his attention to the shop again. Harry shakes his head fondly.

***

While he’s sorting out the different mushrooms, Gemma comes out of the backroom.

‘How’s Liam?’ She carries a tray with various bottles to the kitchen counter. Harry wonders what she’s been creating.

‘He’s good, he asked again about my cupcakes.’ Gemma smiles.

‘You should do it, you know. You’re good at baking. Any more news?’ She starts cleaning the bottles in the sink.

‘Well, Mr. Parker moved and there’s a new resident at Woodview; he moved in today.’ Harry says, keeping his calm, because if his sister finds out about his fast developing crush on the new neighbour, she’s going to tease him endlessly. Gemma stops rinsing the bottles.

‘Oh? Did you meet him?’

‘Yeah,.. Yeah he was taking a break at the tearoom.’ Harry studies a Penny Bun for no other reason than to keep from looking up at his sister, because his red cheeks are going to betray him for sure.

‘And… come on, Haz, what’s he like?’ Gemma asks impatiently.

‘He’s young… our age, I guess. He’s originally from Yorkshire. Oh.. and he’s a playwright!’ He replies, still studying the mushroom.

‘Really… sounds interesting. Is he single?’ He can hear the teasing in her voice.

‘He is.’ Harry admits with a sigh. Gemma whistles.

‘Sounds like he made an impression.’ She continues cleaning. ‘Does he have a name?’

‘Louis, Louis Tomlinson.’

‘Maybe you should bake him some cupcakes…’ Gemma suggests.

‘You think, I should?’ Harry asks hesitantly, glancing up. Gemma looks at him and raises an eyebrow.

‘Yes, you’re good at baking. Just do it, alright?’ 

‘Thanks Gems.’ Harry replies softly. Gemma doesn’t respond, Misty mutters something, but Harry doesn’t bother to ask the cat what she was saying. It can’t be anything flattering. 

On Sunday morning Harry claims the kitchen while Gemma decides to continue working on her potions; she still hasn’t revealed what potions they are, she’s being very secretive about it. The shop is closed on Sundays off-season, except for the last weekend of October. 

He rummages through cupboards and drawers until he finds all he needs. The bowl, the whisk, the muffin tins and a spoon are laid out on the left at the kitchen counter. Flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, milk, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, a can of pumpkin purée and pumpkin pie spice on the other side. He preheats the oven, rubs his hands. He’s ready to start. He hums along to the song on the radio, while he sprays the cupcake liners of the tins with cooking spray. When he pours the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt in the large bowl and whisks the ingredients until they are combined, Misty jumps up on the other end of the counter. 

‘What are you doing?’ She inquires, tilting her black head. 

‘I’m making pumpkin pie cupcakes for the new neighbour and for Liam.’ He tells her, without looking up. ‘I know you want some of the milk. You’ll just have to wait.’ he adds. Misty jumps down with a huff and goes back to her chair near the fireplace. 

Harry sets the large bowl aside and grabs the smaller bowl. He whisks the pumpkin purée, milk, sugar, two eggs and vanilla until they are completely combined. Carefully he pours the contents of the large bowl into the smaller bowl and whisks until he has one mass. He fills each cupcake liner with the mixture and sets both tins in the oven,then presses start. 

He cleans his hands on his apron before he opens the fridge to get some milk for Misty. He pours it in a small bowl and sets it next to her water bowl and calls her. 

‘Finally.’ He hears her mutter. 

‘If you behave well. You can have some whipped cream after I’ve finished making it.’ Harry pointedly looks at her. 

‘I’m well-behaved.’ Misty replies curtly before she dives her head into the bowl of milk. Harry chuckles when she looks up. There are drops of milk on her whiskers and nose. Well-behaved indeed, he thinks. He makes coffee, before returning to his baking. 

He cleans the smaller bowl and the whisk to reuse for his cream. While the oven snores softly in the background, Harry sings along to the new Lady Gaga song on the radio and whisks the cream, sugar, honey and vanilla together, then puts it away in the fridge to cool. 

He’s cleaning the counter when he hears Gemma coming into the kitchen. 

‘I need coffee.’ She says, her face is red and heated. ‘I’m exhausted.’

Harry pours coffee in her favourite mug with the silver skull print. Harry’s favourite is a similar mug with a pumpkin print. 

‘What are you brewing back there?’ Harry points his head to the back room, while he leans on the counter sipping from his coffee. 

‘A potion… something I’ve been wanting to try for a while now.’ She says without elaborating. 

‘You’re not going to tell what potion?’ 

‘Nope, if it works you’ll see.’ She avoids talking about her backroom activities. Harry sighs. 

‘Very well, then I’m not going to tell you what I’m making.’ 

Gemma snorts and so does Misty. 

‘Please, I have a very good nose, dear brother. You’re baking pumpkin pie cupcakes. Are they for the playwright?’ Gemma’s eyes twinkle. 

‘ _And_ for the tearoom.’ Harry adds quickly. 

‘Aha, so finally you’re giving in! Liam will be pleased.’ Gemma winks and gets up to go back to the backroom. 

The oven rings. Harry opens the door and gets out the tray with oven gloves. The tins need to cool down for a while before he can put them in the fridge. He closes the door, removes the gloves and goes to his room to fetch a book to read. When he comes back, Gemma has brought a tray full of bottles into the kitchen, most of them are empty, ready to be rinsed. Harry decides to rinse them instead of reading his book, while he waits for the cupcakes to cool. He can’t help but wonder what his sister is making, the bottles don’t tell him much. He sniffs, but only smells roses. He sets the rinsed bottle aside and wants to grab another one, when there’s a hiss and he quickly pulls his hand away, knocks over a bottle containing a liquid. He lets out a curse and quickly opens the water tab to cool his hand. He forgot about the hot tins. He should have been more careful. He lets the luke warm water sooth his hand for about ten minutes. He gets a clean cotton towel from the cupboard and carefully dabs his hand dry. There’s a red spot on the side, just under his pinky. He sighs and looks at the damage done. The bottle is empty, the liquid spread out over the counter. He soaks it up with a cloth and sets the tin with cupcakes aside, inspecting them. He doesn’t see any wet spots on the cupcakes and sighs in relief. No damage done to the cupcakes. 

He finishes rinsing the bottles and places them back on the tray; better not tell Gemma about his little accident, even though she probably guesses he burned his hand, thanks to the red spot that’s most likely going to turn into a nice blister. 

He takes the whipped cream out of the fridge and adds it to the cupcakes. He takes them out of the liners and puts them away in two container boxes. Then puts them back into the fridge. 

‘I was promised cream.’ he hears a voice from below. Misty rubs her little body against Harry’s legs, stroking her head at his shin. 

‘Yes, you were.’ He picks her up and strokes her head. ‘Promise you won’t tell Gemma nor mum, when she visits, about my little accident in the kitchen?’ 

‘Are you bribing me?’ Misty asks a little scandalised. 

‘Uhm… yeah?’ Harry replies hesitantly; it feels awful to bribe a small cat. On the other hand… it’s Misty… she likes to gossip. 

‘Fine… whatever. Can I have my cream now?’ She wiggles in Harry’s arms until he sets her back on the kitchen floor. 

When Harry gives her the cream on a saucer, she doesn’t reply with a ‘thank you’, like she usually does in whatever way. She’s still miffed. 

On Monday morning it’s quite busy in the shop. Harry had been for his early morning walk and dropped off the container with cupcakes at the tearoom before going to the forest. Liam had given him a hug. He was really happy Harry finally gave in. He promised to pay him when the cupcakes were sold. Harry plans to drop off the container for Louis a little later in the day. 

He doesn’t have time to drop them off, much to his disappointment. He really wants to see Louis again, but he can’t leave when it’s this busy in the shop. Of course, since it’s close to Halloween, the shop is busier than usual. People looking for a gift or items to decorate their homes.   

‘What’s with the hand mirrors? Why does everybody want to buy those?’ Harry whispers in Gemma’s ear, when he’s sold the last from their stock. 

‘I have no idea. It’s odd, I agree. We should order some more’. Harry notes it down in the book. 

‘Excuse me, sir. Do you sell hand mirrors?’ An older lady asks him while he’s writing the order down. 

‘I’m sorry, ma’am. We’ve run out of stock. They’re highly in demand today. They should come back in in two days. If you care to visit us then?’ Harry tells her politely. The woman’s face falls at the information given to her by Harry. 

‘Oh, that’s too bad. Thanks anyway.’ She sadly turns and walks to the door, pulling on her grey locks before she opens the door and leaves. Another customer stands in front of the window, adjusting his hat. 

‘What is today? Is it National Be Vain day?’ Harry whispers to Gemma, softly nudging her shoulder. Gemma giggles. 

‘I don’t know, but I think it’s funny, besides; sales are good today.’ She whispers back with a huge grin. Harry shakes his head. 

When it’s time to close the shop. Gemma suggests he goes to Woodview to drop off the cupcakes while she’s going to make dinner. 

Harry combs his hair, puts on his coat, wraps the scarf around his neck and takes the container out of the fridge. One last look in the mirror before he goes. ‘Be vain today.’ he chuckles to himself. 

It’s already dark when he arrives at Woodview. The streetlamps illuminate the path to the front door. Harry knocks three times. The door opens and Louis smiles when he sees Harry standing there. 

‘Hi Harry, come in! How nice of you to drop by.’ Harry follows Louis inside the cottage. It’s warm and cosy. 

‘Wow, you’ve done a great job in two days.’ Harry is in awe. 

‘I had some help. My mate Niall came by to help. He’s great at DIY.’ Louis tells Harry. The walls are covered in a soft cottage green, there’s washing white wooden floors throughout the house. The living room has cream and soft brown furniture. The cupboards and walls are still empty. 

‘Niall is great, you’ll like him. So Harry, to what do I owe the pleasure?’ Louis asks. 

‘Oh… uhm, yeah. I...baked you cupcakes.’ Harry stutters and hands the container to Louis. 

‘Can I open it?’ Louis looks hopeful at Harry. Harry nods. Louis opens the lid and inhales the smell. ‘They smell absolutely gorgeous. Thank you so much! I’m going to taste one right away. You want one?’ Louis picks one to offer Harry. 

‘No, no… I’m fine. I was just dropping them off. Gemma will kill me if I won’t eat dinner. You enjoy them. I have to go back. It’s been a busy day at the shop.’ Harry excuses himself. He really does need to go back. 

‘Okay… oh, they taste amazing!’ Louis closes his eyes and moans. Harry feels very warm all of a sudden. He starts blushing once more. ‘I have to save some for Niall. He’s going to love these.’ Louis smiles when he opens his eyes. ‘I’m coming to your shop tomorrow, see what you sell. After all, I still need some decorations for the house.’ 

‘We’re out of hand mirrors though.’ Harry chuckles. Louis raises his eyebrows. ‘Apparently, all of our customers were in desperate need of hand mirrors today. Don’t ask me why, because neither Gemma nor I have a clue why.’ Louis giggles. 

‘Sounds like your customers appreciate their own appearances.’ He winks. 

‘Maybe. I have to go, see what’s for dinner tonight. See you tomorrow, Louis.’ Harry greets him when he’s at the door. 

‘Have a good night and thanks for bringing the cupcakes. Bye Harry!’ Louis closes the door when Harry’s on the street. 

*** 

‘Please Harry, your cupcakes are selling so well. Will you consider baking for the tearoom more often?’ Liam begs. He is Harry’s first customer that morning, he just paid Harry for the cupcakes. ‘The customers seemed so much brighter and happy when they left the tea room after having one of your cupcakes. You really made their day.’ 

Harry sighs and nods. 

‘Yeah, alright. I just don’t think I’m that good, but if you say so and the customers like them, I don’t see why not.’ He concedes. He loves baking, if he can get Gemma to take over more shifts in the next weeks, he might be able to provide pumpkin pie cupcakes daily for the tearoom. Liam thanks him with a hug and goes back to his own shop. 

Just after noon, Louis comes into the shop. 

‘Hi! And wow! This is amazing!’ He admires the oval Victorian black mirror in the corner of the shop. He looks in the mirror, adjusts his very well styled quiff, steps back and hums contentedly. He turns towards the table behind him, where candle holders, books, bell jars and ornamental skulls are spread out on the table. He picks up a candle holder and walks to the counter. 

‘I definitely want this and … how much is the mirror?’ Harry can’t help but giggle and names the price. Louis’ eyes light up.’I’ll take that too, please.’ He pulls the wallet from the pocket of his a dark brown suede jacket. He looks breathtaking in the tight black jeans, jacket and black polo. His blue eyes sparkle and there’s a satisfied smile on his face. Harry has to refrain from touching Louis’ cheek, where a slight stubble is visible. 

‘Thanks for the cupcakes again; I had another one this morning. They’re just so good. I heard you’re making them for the tearoom too. Liam finally persuaded you to bake for him, did he?’ 

‘Yes, he did. I’ll give it a go.’ Harry says, shrugging. It’s not a big deal to him. He still thinks they’re just cupcakes. Louis pays for his purchases and says goodbye to Harry. 

‘He’s handsome.’ Gemma says. ‘I suppose that was Louis Tomlinson?’ She smirks at her brother. 

‘Yes, that was him.’ Harry walks into the shop to adjust a few items on the table, so there isn’t an empty spot where the candle holder stood. 

‘He liked your cupcakes.’ Gemma states and turns around to go back to work. 

The next days are more quiet, the demand for hand mirrors has decreased. They haven’t sold them since the new stock came in. Harry places two variations of the mirrors on the table. He hangs a new full size dress mirror where the black Victorian mirror once hung, before he sold that one to Louis. The new mirror is one of the same brand and black too; there are tiny black skulls decorating the top of the mirror. He quite likes it himself. Misty watches him as she lies down on the window-sill. 

The doorbell chimes and Louis and another man come in. 

‘Hey Harry, how are you?’ Louis asks. Harry turns around and smiles. 

‘I’m fine. How are you?’ He replies. 

‘I’m fine. Peachy, actually. Oh, this is my friend Niall, I told you about him, remember?’ Niall shakes Harry’s hand. 

‘You’re the cupcake man. Mate, I had one earlier, they’re the best I ever had.’ Niall compliments him. 

‘Oh.. oh, thank you very much. I’m glad to hear you liked it.’ Harry thanks Niall. Louis looks around and spots the mirror behind Harry. 

‘Oh! That is a beautiful piece. When did you get that?’ Louis peeks around Harry. Harry looks over his shoulder and back. 

‘It came in this morning.’ He steps aside so Louis can have a proper look. Louis immediately walks towards the mirror and softly strokes the mirror. He admires the mirror for quite a while, in the meantime he’s pulling on his fringe to fix it. He fumbles with his jacket and turns around, looks over his shoulder and pats his own bum. Harry frowns. Louis looks a little obsessed with his appearance. 

‘Do you think I look good in these jeans?’ He asks Harry. Harry swallows and almost chokes. 

‘Uhm… yeah?’ What else can he say? The guy is gorgeous no matter what he’s wearing. 

‘Niall… what do you think? Do I look good?’ Louis is clearly not satisfied with Harry’s comment and turns to his friend for a second opinion. 

‘Lou, you always look good, trust me. How about me? Does that brown colour suit me instead of the blond dye?’ Niall looks in the hand mirror Harry placed on the table earlier and pulls on his brown locks. 

‘Oh yeah, it does.’ Louis comments and goes back to looking at himself in the full size mirror. 

‘Harry? How much is this one?’ 

‘Sorry, it just came in, I’ll look it up for you.’ Harry looks at the order list, picks up the calculator and says. ’£150.’ 

‘Good, I take it and I want the matching hand mirror on the table too.’ Louis adds while he’s still turning from side to side taking in his own appearance in the mirror. 

‘Okay…’ Harry frowns and takes the mirror from the wall. ‘Do you want us to deliver it?’ 

‘No, we’ll carry it back. Niall, the hand mirror is my gift to you.’ Louis smiles friendly at his best friend. Niall walks to Louis and hugs him. 

Harry helps them on their way, holding the door open so the men can carry the mirror outside. The hand mirror is wrapped carefully in tissue and Harry gave Niall a paper bag to carry it in. When he closes the door, he feels his heart sink. He sighs deeply, disappointed he watches Louis and Niall go. 

‘Self-obsessed much.’ Gemma says from behind him. She stands in the doorway, her arms crossed, leaning against the door frame. 

‘Yeah. He seems so… different from the first two times I met him. I feel kind of gutted, seeing the true Louis.’ Harry quietly says while he watches the men struggling to keep the mirror in balance. 

‘You liked him a lot at first, didn’t you?’ His sister asks softly. 

‘I did. Well, I guess we just saw the true Louis, no need to dwell on it. Let’s get back to work.’ 

‘I made us some coffee.’ Gemma motions for him to follow her to the storage room. Harry follows, feeling empty and a little sad. 

That night he bakes a new batch of pumpkin pie cupcakes for the tearoom and delivers them. 

‘Harry, come in! Ooh, they smell so good!’ Liam invites him in. They set the cupcakes in the fridge and Harry gratefully accepts a cup of coffee from Liam. 

‘Your cupcakes are the most popular cakes on the menu.’ Harry smiles friendly. ‘So, what’s on your mind.’ 

‘I don’t know. Must be our customers or something; they’re just… weird.’ Harry says in thought. 

‘What do you mean weird?’ Liam looks at him in confusion. 

‘I don’t know. We’ve sold a lot of mirrors this week. Everyone wants one and they all seem obsessed with themselves.’ Harry sighs. 

‘Oh! Really? I thought I was imagining things. I had quite a few customers checking themselves out in the mirror in the corridor and in the window on Monday, which was honestly odd.’ Liam says, a bit relieved. ‘So your customers are behaving like that too? I wonder why…’ 

‘Me too, the worst is… Louis is the most self-obsessed of them all. I’m honestly a bit disappointed. He seemed such a nice guy at first.’ Harry replies sadly. 

‘Oh, yeah, he came in with his friend  this afternoon… he was acting a bit self-centred, come to think of it. Whatever it is, I hope it’ll be over soon.’ Liam sets his mug on the table. 

‘Me too.’ 

*** 

‘Liam’s customers were acting just as strange as ours.’ Harry tells Gemma. He tells her what Liam said. 

‘On Monday only?’ Gemma asks. There’s a frown between her eyes. 

‘Yeah? Why?’ 

‘You were baking on Sunday, right?’ Harry nods.’You made some cupcakes for the tearoom and for Louis?’ Again he nods. 

‘Why?’ Harry is confused. ‘Why is baking on Sunday so special to you?’ 

‘I brought in a tray full of bottles to clean. Harry…. Did you touch them or spill any of the contents?’ Gemma’s voice sounds awfully serious. Harry hides his head in his hands. 

‘What was in it?’ He whispers, looking through his fingers at his sister. 

‘I was trying a Love Potion, but it wasn’t finished yet on Sunday. Please tell me, what happened? I know something did. Did you spill anything?’ She insists to know. 

‘He knocked over a bottle; it spilled all over the counter.’ Misty informs Gemma from her spot on the chair by the fire, innocently licking her paw. 

‘Tell-tale.’ Harry mutters. 

‘You did what?’ Gemma shouts at him. 

‘I knocked over a bottle when I burned my hand on a tin. I was cleaning the bottles for you.’ 

‘Oh no! Did… did you spill it over the cupcakes? Because I think you might have.’ Gemma claps her hand over her mouth. 

‘I don’t think so?! I checked, but didn’t see any wet spots on the cupcakes. But what if I did? How bad is it?’ Harry is horrified, he may have done lasting damage to some of Liam’s customers and… to Louis.’Oh my God, Louis! He had a full tray all to himself. Oh Gemma, what did I do??’ He is close to having a panic attack. 

‘Calm down, Harry. I don’t think it’s lasting. There was only a little left in one of the bottles and if it spread out over various cupcakes, the effect will only last 24 hours... tops.’ 

‘You think… that’s why people were obsessed with themselves? How?’ Harry wants to know. 

‘I wanted to make a lite version for the shop, that’s what I was experimenting with; it would make the receiver a little more open to affections from the giver, but I got a few ingredients mixed up on Sunday, so I had to throw it away. There was only a little left in that one bottle, I think the effect of the content is clear now. When taking in that small amount of liquid, people were being a little vain. In Louis’ case… self-obsessed after having a little more of the potion. You have to go to him, see if he’s alright, Harry.’ 

Reluctantly Harry obeys. It’s not that he really wants to go, because what does he even tell Louis?  Hi, I’m just checking if you’re still vain? Hi, I’m a witch and I accidentally poured a love potion in the making over your cupcakes? Both options are dismissed by him. 

When he stands in front of the door, he hesitates before knocking. 

‘Take a deep breath, Harry.’ He encourages himself. He knocks and waits. The door swings open, Louis smiles when he sees Harry standing, hands behind his back, nervously rocking back and forward on his heels, while he bites his lip. 

‘Hi Harry, come in!’ Louis says.’Don’t look at the mess, I’m trying to clear the boxes away, sorting things.’ 

Harry follows Louis into the kitchen,almost tripping over two boxes. ‘Careful!’ Louis looks over his shoulder. Near the kitchen door Harry spots the Victorian mirrors, the glassy surfaces facing the wall. Harry frowns. Louis sees him frowning at them. 

‘Oh… yeah, uhm… I maybe overdid it a bit with the mirrors?’ Louis is rubbing his neck, his cheeks are red. ‘Don’t know what I was thinking. Niall left his hand mirror here too.’ He sounds as if he’s apologizing. Harry raises his eyebrows. 

‘Don’t you like them?’ He inquires a bit worried. 

‘No! No! It’s just with these added, I have 6 mirrors in the house, which is… well, a bit too much. I’ll put these on the wall and give some of the others to my sisters.’ Louis replies quickly. 

‘Oh! I understand.’ Harry smiles. 

‘I haven’t been myself this week; don’t know what got into me.’ Louis sighs. 

‘Oh?’ Harry asks without trying to sound too nosy. 

‘Yeah, can’t explain it really. Felt the need to check myself in every mirror; I’ve never been a vain guy. Anyway… no need to trouble you with my weird ways. You’ve seen me. So, more important… do you want coffee? Tea?’ Louis busies himself. 

‘Coffee, please.’ Harry answers, feeling a little guilty. It’s his fault Louis felt out of sorts the past week. He’s not sure how to bring up his accident and how Louis will react. 

‘Oh, here’s your container! The pumpkin pie cupcakes were delicious; I would ask for the recipe, but I’m not good at baking as I said before, besides you’re supplying the tearoom now. I better visit Liam’s shop a little more often to taste those delicacies.’ Louis hands Harry the empty and cleaned container. ‘Niall enjoyed them too. I finished the last cupcake yesterday.’ 

‘And as of today you’re feeling more yourself?’ Harry tries carefully, his cheeks are heating up. 

‘Well, now that you mention it… yeah, I do. Must have been the cupcakes.’ He teases and winks. Harry blushes furiously and looks down.’Oh, I’m sorry…. I didn’t mean it like that. No! No! They were perfect! Really!’ Louis quickly apologizes.’Geez, way to make new friends Tomlinson.’ he mutters to himself. 

‘Well, there may have been a little something in the cupcakes.’ Harry whispers, his head still down.’I … I had a little accident when baking. I may have added a little love potion by accident. I mean, it was not really a love potion…, yet. Gemma was still experimenting, but one of the bottles fell and the content spread out over the kitchen counter and it got into the cupcakes, so… yeah, well, uhm… sorry.’ Harry rambles in a soft voice, still blushing, feeling totally embarrassed. There’s silence. Louis doesn’t say anything. This can’t be good. Harry slowly looks up. Louis stares at him with open mouth, completely dumbfounded. 

‘Say something… please?’ Harry begs a little desperate. It’s the first time he has to explain their powers. Until today both he and Gemma always managed to keep their magic a secret outside of their circle of friends and family. 

‘Uhm… eh Wow?!’ Louis rubs his neck and sits down, the coffee long forgotten. 

‘You think I’m insane, right? Some weirdo?’ Harry says. He already feels the need to defend himself bubbling inside of him. 

‘I don’t know… should I?’ Louis swallows. Harry can see he’s feeling uncomfortable. 

‘Gemma and I are … witches. It’s true. She’s really good, I’m … not so good. I rarely use my powers, but if you need proof, you should talk to our cat, Misty.’ Harry is about to get up and go. ‘I better leave.’ 

‘Harry… wait! She talks? That black cat, right?’ Louis exclaims. Harry nods hesitantly. ‘I knew it!!! Niall said I was crazy!’ 

‘What do you mean? You heard her talking? She’s not allowed to talk outside the house.’ Harry frowns. 

‘When Niall and I were leaving the shop with the mirror? She was lying on the window-sill and muttering something like ‘idiots’. A little conceited, in my opinion. But as I said I wasn’t totally feeling myself, but I was sure it was the cat speaking, she eyed us when we past the window.’ Louis sounds quite satisfied and excited and gazing hopefully at Harry. 

Harry sighs, shakes his head and smiles. 

‘That sounds like something she would say. So… uhm, you want to come over some time? For dinner?’ He thinks he’s pretty brave asking, considering he just confessed being a witch and now is asking one of his unintentional victims over for dinner. 

‘Hmm, depends… will you spike the food?’ There’s an amused smile on Louis’ face. 

‘No, I promise. I can cook better than I can do spells and potions.’ Harry quickly reassures him. 

‘I accept… and just for your information… you don’t need to add Love Potion… I like you already.’ Louis says. His voice flirtatious as he winks at Harry. Harry giggles and ducks his head. Then slowly looks up again and admits. 

‘I like you too… a lot.’

  
*** 

Gemma teased Harry a lot over the next days, but she promises to leave them alone on Saturday night. She’s going to spend some time with a few friends. 

Harry has put his dish in the oven when the doorbell rings. Misty is looking up with interest from her chair near the fire. 

‘Promise you’ll behave. You can talk. Louis knows you talk, because you couldn’t keep your little mouth shut when he and Niall left the shop with the mirror.’ He reproaches the cat. 

‘Oops.’ She replies and licks her paw. Harry wipes his hand on a towel, removes his apron, pushes a stray curl from his forehead and opens the door with a broad smile on his face. 

‘Hi! Come in!’ He lets Louis in. Louis steps inside and nervously holds out a bouquet of yellow roses. 

‘They’re for you. Uhm… I looked up the meaning of roses and yellow means quite a few things… uhm friendship, and …. That I care.’ He stumbles over his words. Harry finds it sweet. He accepts the flowers and smells them. 

‘They are lovely, thank you.’ 

He hangs up Louis’ coat for him and shows him to the kitchen/dining room. 

‘Please, take a seat.Would you like a glass of wine while we wait for dinner to be ready?’ Harry asks as a true host. 

‘I’d love that, yeah, thanks.’ Louis sits on the chair on the side of the fireplace. 

‘Welcome, Louis.’ Misty greets him charmingly with her head leaning on her front paws. Louis almost jumps up in shock, but then sighs with relief when he spots Misty on the opposite chair. 

‘Oh… hi… Misty, is it?’ He replies. She nods. ‘I’m Louis. This is a little weird for me, to be honest, I’m not used to cats talking back to me, even though, just between us, I talk to cats and dogs all the time.’ Louis bends down, so his face is at the same height as Misty’s little head. 

‘I know!’ She exclaims. ‘People are weird.’ 

‘You thought I was weird when me and my friend left the shop, hmm?’ Louis keeps talking. Harry looks at them in surprise. Usually his cat is not very friendly with people she doesn’t know, but apparently there’s something about Louis that she appreciates. 

‘Here you go. Well, I see you acquainted yourself with Misty.’ Harry giggles. 

‘I did. She’s beautiful.’ Louis gives him a wink. 

‘Thank you. You can stay.’ Misty replies with a pleased voice. She yawns and curls up, covering her eyes with a paw and goes to sleep. Harry mouths ‘well done’ to Louis with a grin. They raise their glasses and take a sip. 

Dinner is pleasant. Louis is in awe of Harry’s cooking abilities. 

‘You should have become a chef or a baker.’ He compliments Harry when they’ve just finished dessert. 

‘It never crossed my mind, really. I’m happy with baking for Liam right now. Our lives, it was always about potions and spells at home. Mum is a witch, dad isn’t, but he always encouraged us to use our abilities. In my case, there have been more blunders than I can count. I’m not really good.’ Harry admits. 

‘So you’ve got a talent for baking and cooking, why not make a career out of that?’ Louis folds his hands under his chin, his elbows leaning on the table. 

‘Enough about me, how about you? How did you become a playwright?’ Harry wants to know. Louis’ profession intrigues him. Louis tells him that discovered he could write when in college they couldn’t find the right script for a play to perform and he offered to write something with a friend. The group liked it and that’s how he looked into writing for more theatre groups, gradually he was asked more often to write a play and before he knew he became a playwright, instead of a drama teacher, as was his intention. 

‘That is great, I’d love to see one of your plays one day.’ 

‘You could, as a matter of fact, I’ve already been asked by the local theatre group, if I want to help them out with a Christmas play.’ 

‘Liam’s group! They are really good, considering the group consists solely of amateurs. Gemma and I go to see them every year.’ Harry tells him enthusiastically. 

They chat some more and when Louis needs to leave, he says. 

‘I should have offered to help you with the dishes, but I suppose you do it in Weasley style, right?’ Louis says. Harry bursts out in laughter. 

‘Yeah, you want to see it?’ He offers. 

‘Can I?’ Louis asks eagerly. 

‘Sure, watch this. It’s a charm.’ Harry flicks his fingers and the sink fills with water, the Fairy bottle topples over and squeezes soap in the sink. The fop hovers over the sink while the plates jump into it, to get soaked before the fop gently cleans them. 

‘Wow! This is amazing, it’s like watching a Harry Potter film, except this is for real.’ Louis says in awe. 

‘Show-off’ Misty scolds Harry from the chair. Harry looks over his shoulder and sticks out his tongue. He hears dishes rattling to the floor. 

‘Oops.’ Misty’s voice is sweet like syrup and a little triumphant. 

‘Fuck!’ Harry exclaims sheepishly when he sees the plates on the floor, shattered. 

‘Uh-oh.’ Louis whistles softly. 

‘See… I told you I’m not really good. Lack of concentration, Gemma would say if she’d been here. I better clean up.’ He sighs, but Louis stops him. He cups Harry’s cheek and brings his face closer until Harry can feel Louis’ breath on his face. Louis leans in and softly kisses Harry’s lips. 

It takes Harry by surprise, but he’s on board with this and pulls Louis closer to him, nipping and kissing until they’re both out of breath. 

‘You’re talented; baking, cooking and kissing too.I wouldn’t worry about those magic skills, you’ve got plenty to offer without them.’ Louis leans his forehead against Harry’s. 

‘You think so?’ Harry smiles. 

‘I’m sure.’ Louis starts kissing him again, while Misty pretends to be asleep on her chair, but secretly watches Harry and Louis with one eye as she purrs contentedly. One day, that ginger cat is going to fall for her.

 

 


End file.
